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The TennesseanThu, 13 Mar 2014 22:16:58 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Answering questions about Arkansashttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2010/10/29/answering-questions-about-arkansas/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2010/10/29/answering-questions-about-arkansas/#commentsFri, 29 Oct 2010 18:43:17 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1133Vanderbilt and Arkansas meet Saturday night in Fayetteville for the first time in four years. The blogging tandem of Stephen Ursery and John Slater from ArkansasExpats.com has kindly taken some time to answer a few questions about the Razorbacks.

1. If Joe Adams is unable to play and Greg Childs isn’t 100 percent, how does that change Arkansas’ passing game and kickoff/punt return game?

Expats: “Adams and Childs are almost certainly the Hogs’ second and third best players (although which one is second and which is third is up for debate), so losing them will definitely affect things at least a bit…they’re too good not to be missed (from what it’s worth, it looks like Childs will play). But, Arkansas is very deep at receiver, and Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton and D.J. Williams are more than capable of picking up the slack. So, we don’t expect the Hogs to slow down a huge amount in that department.

“But, Joe Adams’ absence will surely be felt in the punt return game. After threatening to break one all season, he had a record-setting 97-yard return for TD against Ole Miss and is the type of player who is a threat to score any time he touches the ball. As for kickoff returns, that unit has struggled ever since losing Dennis Johnson to a season-ending injury against Louisiana-Monroe. They could definitely use a little help.”

2. Ryan Mallett has been knocked out of the last two games with a concussion and shoulder injury. How concerned are the Razorbacks with his health going forward? How have Arkansas fans rated his play this season coming off his huge sophomore campaign?

Expats: “We can’t speak for the team, but we’re at least slightly concerned about Mallett. As you mentioned, he’s had to leave the last two games with injuries to body parts that are pretty important to a quarterback’s success. Mallett is telling the press that he’s completely ready to go, but we’ll have to see. We’ll be holding our breath a little come Saturday evening.

“Ryan is obviously a spectacular talent and watching him toss a long bomb to one of the Hogs’ many top-notch receivers is truly a joy, but I think it’s fair to say that fans may be a little disappointed in his performance so far, especially because the Hogs have struggled to score in the second half this season and because Ryan tossed those costly interceptions against Alabama. Whatever frustrations there are aren’t particularly widespread or deeply held, and we recognize that he’s one of the truly special players to pass through Fayetteville. But the offense’s inability to put together a complete game and the team’s performance under backup quarterback Tyler Wilson may have dimmed Ryan’s glow a little.”

3. The losses to Alabama and Auburn have probably taken the Hogs out of the running for the SEC West. Given all the hype and expectations entering this season, is the team and/or the fan base considering this a disappointment or were the expectations a bit too high to start?

Expats: “The fans seem to have had a variety of reactions to the season. For us, it does feel like a slight disappointment for several reasons. First off, while there’s certainly no shame in losing close games to Alabama or Auburn, the Hogs performed ineptly in the final minutes of those contests. And in their other games, the Hogs have looked fairly sluggish.

“Up until the Auburn game, the defense and the special teams had actually been pleasant surprises, but it feels like the offense has underachieved, particularly, as we mentioned above, in the second half of games. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear to us, the Hogs have had trouble scoring after intermission and have had loads of trouble getting their running game untracked (they had a nice game on the ground against Ole Miss – hopefully, that’s the beginning of a trend).

“It’s important to keep perspective: whenever Petrino took over nearly three years ago, the cupboard was pretty bare at Arkansas, and he definitely has the program headed in the right direction. Furthermore, we predicted a 9-3 regular-season record before the year started, and there are lots of reasons why the Hogs can still achieve that mark. Still, we can’t escape feeling that the season has been a little duller than we were expecting.”

4. What is Arkansas’ biggest concern with its defense right now, and how could Vanderbilt best exploit it?

Expats: “Hmm, where to start? The defense – a major weak spot last year – had been looking significantly improved through the first five games of the season but completely broke down against Auburn. Given Cameron Newton’s otherworldiness that’s at least a little bit understandable, but they then proceeded to give up even more yardage (although less than half the points, thankfully) against a very average Ole Miss offense last week.

“The Hogs boast a solid pass rush, but have a tendency to give up the long bomb and are frequently gashed by quality runners. And, their depth is sorely lacking, as evidenced by their opponents’ gaudy 4th quarter scoring totals against them this year. The Commodores’ best bet is probably to grind it out on the ground – we suspect they don’t have enough talent at the skill positions to match the Razorbacks score-for-score, but generating long clock-killing drives that wear down the Arkansas D and keep their offense off the field is Vandy’s best bet for making things interesting.”